by Alison Maxwell, USA TODAY

by Alison Maxwell, USA TODAY

Brad Pitt has issued a statement to London's Evening Standard on partner Angelina Jolie's decision to have a double mastectomy.

"Having witnessed this decision firsthand, I find Angie's choice, as well as many others like her, absolutely heroic," Pitt said in the statement. "I thank our medical team for their care and focus."

"All I want is for her to have a long and healthy life, with myself and our children," Pitt continued. "This is a happy day for our family."

In a New York Times op-ed story written by Angelina Jolie and titled My Medical Choice, the star, 37, explained that she spent the last three months undergoing and recovering from a double mastectomy.

Jolie, who lost her mother to ovarian cancer, wrote, "My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87% to under 5%. I can tell my children that they don't need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer."